Of Trinkets and Kittens
by Zedd07
Summary: Yohji thought he wouldn't be able to escape the underground completely, as in the detective business, one will more or less encounter something from yakuzas once or twice. He never thought one of his cases would in fact come straight from the world he once belonged in.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Yohji put down the receiver and sighed wearily, before picking up his cigarette to take a whiff. Omi had called again. 'Mamoru' he corrected himself silently, before leaning back on his new, old armchair. Surveying his surroundings, he congratulated himself for having built a ragtag office of his own, ready to pick up from where he left off with the private investigating business.

He found himself gazing at an old photograph of him with his old team. It has been a little less than a year when after their last mission, Omi decided it would be good to take a break. But after a few months, Yohji found that he didn't want to go back anymore.

Omi had been trying talk some sense into him, but he couldn't blame Yohji for wanting some sense of normalcy in his life; Yohji being the oldest couldn't help but think that there had to be more to life than the underground world, and that he didn't think he deserved to die abruptly in the wrong hands.

Neither did any of them, but he always had the sneaking suspicion that Aya and Ken might take up the offer, and Omi, well he grew in the business that it was hard to imagine him doing anything but. Nevertheless, Yohji had gambled pretty much half of his savings to throw his ambition away, and so he declined Omi's invitation once more.

He reached to his right to grab a folder, one of the cases passed over to him by a dependable acquaintance in the business. Seeing as he had more than enough on his plate, he let Yohji in on a few of his assignments, also as a way of thanking him for helping him out when he was starting out.

The case given to him seemed to be a piece of cake, as he examined the contents of the folder. A missing person, it seemed, reported by a young relative, whose description fit that of a young japanese teen. Oddly enough, the person missing was older than him by almost seven years, and a foreigner nonetheless. 'It would be more helpful if they had a photo,' Yohji snorted; he'll have to make do with whatever information there was available.

Once before he remembered a conversation he had with Aya about quitting the assassin business once and for all. Yohji thought he wouldn't be able to escape the underground completely, as in the detective business, one will more or less encounter something from yakuzas once or twice. He never thought one of his cases would in fact come straight from the world he once belonged in.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes from the Author:** Hi!It's back from the grave for me as I try to return to my unfinished stories. Anyway, I just had to start this one but don't worry, the plot has been laid down and is actually finished; it will just depend on your comments as to how much I can twist things. I will be working on the rest of my stories as best as I can to bring them to a close, as for this one, as it is my new creation, please be gentle. As a bonus I have included the first chapter with the prologue to curb my evil habit of leaving cliffhangers. Enjoy and feedback is more than welcome!

**Chapter One**

Nagi Naoe looked up uncertainly at a small rundown building a few blocks from the old investigator he hired himself to help him find Schuldig. After the last mission, half of Schwarz went missing, and while Crawford assured him that all of them are still alive, he made no move to look for them either. Months passed, and slowly Nagi came to the realization that Schwarz is no more; Crawford had taken up a new job as a business consultant who more or less dealt with illegal matters along the way to earn a living. There were a few assignments tossed over to him but most deal with having to be a bodyguard of some wealthy businessman and that was it.

To Nagi it didn't feel right to just abandon all hope of having the two of their comrades remain missing. They might have been the bad guys but at the end of the day, those had just been missions they were assigned to complete, nothing more. They took care of each other in their own way, no matter how unconventional a family they were, a family they were still to Nagi's eyes nonetheless.

Crawford mostly left him to his own devices as he was too busy to look after him; add to that among the three of them, Crawford found Nagi the most dependable and so he trusted him to be alone and not screw anything up. When Nagi brought up the matter of him trying to find Schuldig and Farfarello, Crawford merely shrugged and told him to do whatever he wanted provided he didn't cause trouble.

And so he found himself scratching his head, examining the scribbles on the paper the investigator gave him. He apologized having to turn the case over to another colleague, but he promised that this person was very good at what he does and that he will be able to help him.

He trudged inside the nearly empty apartment and jogged up a short flight of stairs into the small hall where the office was located.

* * *

Yohji couldn't believe his eyes. He stood frozen in front of his door staring at Prodigy from Schwarz. Each item from the description in the file fit him perfectly, and suddenly, the missing man had a face.

Schuldig.

"There must be some mistake." Nagi finally said, turning to leave.

"Wait." Yohji put a hand on his shoulder to stop him, only to wince and move back when Nagi whipped his head back to glare at him. "Uhm, Mr. Kanzaki is a friend of mine. We used to share cases in the old days. I'm just starting out again in the business and he has given me some of his assignments to work with."

Nagi frowned at him. "I doubt you'd help me."

"Listen." Yohji sighed wearily. "Could you just, come in. Please?" When Nagi finally relented, he stepped aside to lead him in. He offered him the couch, and then sat on a chair beside his table, forgoing the comfort of his old armchair.

"So?" Nagi mumbled after a while, shrugging. It has been a good few minutes since Yohji said anything, and it appeared he himself didn't know what to do next.

Yohji ran a hand through his hair. "Look. Naoe-san." He paused, having tried the young man's real name out loud for the first name. He knew him more as Prodigy, but that was way back then. "Let's leave all that in the past. I'm no longer your enemy." He stood up suddenly, taking Nagi aback. "Sorry, I just, I'm Yohji. Kudou Yohji." He offered a hand awkwardly which Nagi shook. "Bet you knew that already, though."

"U-huh." Nagi muttered, watching Yohji go back to his seat.

"Like I said, I'll help you. It's my job now." Yohji said, more to himself than to Nagi.

Nagi looked around at the small office, unable to suppress an amused smile. He did read from the mission files before that Balinese used to be a good private investigator. From the looks of the place, he seems to be starting over. Resting his eyes on Yohji, he frowned. "What of the talks I've heard of Weiss regrouping?"

"Um," Yohji pursed his lips, brows furrowed. "Well, there have been plans, but as far as I'm concerned, I don't think I'm coming back." He shrugged, giving everything around him a once-over. "I don't want to put this to waste. I've worked so hard to get this."

"So...that's why you want to help me? So you can pay this off?"

"You can say that." Yohji said half-annoyed. "Look kid, if you really don't want me to handle this you can go back to Kanzaki-san and explain it to him. I still got a few more cases on me, but I'd hate to give myself a bad rap about being choosy. You know what I mean?"

Nagi nodded mutely and sighed. From the looks of things it seemed Weiss wouldn't be able to regroup completely now with Balinese out of the picture. It would be lucky if he found Schuldig and Farfarello, and right now, that was his main concern. Crawford didn't mention seeing anything about Balinese or Weiss so he assumed that this move was harmless.

"So are we up for it?" Yohji pressed, leaning forward to rest his arms on his knees.

"Yeah." Nagi muttered uncomfortably.

"Okay." Yohji slapped his knees with finality and stood to relocate to his favorite chair. His lower back has been pestering him for days.

Nagi noted how the older man looked much thinner than when he last saw him, and attributed it to the change they underwent after the last mission, which threw them off course.

"I need a few things from you, though." Yohji was saying, consulting his file. "I need you to sign some stuff, you know, official business."

Nagi snorted and stood, amused at the irony that Yohji was into legalities. Nevertheless he took the pen and signed on the bottom of the page, stating he agrees to give his full cooperation and will be jointly responsible with any technicalities stated therein. Nagi almost felt like he was standing in Oracle's own study, only this one was less grandiose.

And a little bit more homey.

Nagi couldn't believe he'd just thought up that word.

"Great." Yohji closed the folder and motioned towards the chair he recently vacated. "Please have a seat. I need you to answer a few more questions."

* * *

Yohji drummed his fingers against his desk, pondering at the thought as to whether to mention his chance meeting with Schwarz to Omi or to keep it private. Since it would be a breach of contract if he did, he decided against saying anything about it to anyone.

Nagi left about an hour ago, and as promised had given his full cooperation, albeit with a bit of reluctance. From what Yohji had gathered, their last mission severed not only Weiss but also Schwarz. Half of the team was nowhere to be found, and Nagi was irked at the fact that Oracle didn't seem the least bothered about it.

He knew each member of Schwarz possessed a certain power, talent as they called it, and asked if it was possible to find their team members within their own means, to which Nagi scowled at. Apparently, kinesis has nothing to do with finding people, and Oracle could only look into the visions given to him, not choose them. If any, the person who would be of more help would be Schuldig, since he can reach people with his telepathy, although given a limited radius.

Apparently, he was one of the missing persons on Nagi's list. So, yeah.

He mentally drew up a list of places to look at, the place where their last mission played out as one of his priorities. It was the last time Schwarz saw Schuldig and Farfarello alive.

Schuldig. Yohji tried the foreign moniker a few times. Tall, redhead German with cerulean eyes, unlike Omi's which are a shade of cornflower blue. If I were him, where would I go? Why would I disappear? Did I want to disappear or did someone get me? Am I still alive or has someone...

"...sakes Yohji. Open the door."

Yohji abruptly stood and hurried to the peephole by the door. Ken's impatient pout looked back at him. "Sorry!" He opened the door and grinned at him. "Missed me already?"

"Shut it." Ken growled, barreling inside without Yohji's invitation and dumping himself on the couch. "You said no again?!"

"Kenken,"

"I don't understand you." Ken frowned at the older man as he watched him close the door and sit down wearily on the chair beside the table. "You need the money, Yohji."

"That's why I'm working, all right?" Yohji said exasperatedly, running a hand along his hair. "Look, Ken. It's about time Kritiker found a replacement for me. I'm a bit too old for this."

Ken sighed longingly, crossing his arms, that adorable pout once again on his face. It made Yohji laugh. "Shut up!"

"What do you want me to do, Ken?"

Ken closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he glanced around Yohji's meager office and sighed. "I wish for things to be the way they were."

Yohji's smile slowly faded away, as he recognized the same longing as Nagi had. Maybe that was it, did Schuldig still want to come back? Or did he find a new life of his own? "Oi, don't sleep. I'm about to lock up."

"For a second hand, this is a very comfy couch." Ken muttered. Even back in Weiss, everything Yohji owned screamed comfort, if not luxury. That was more Aya's thing. Ken has always been all about sports right down to the coffee mug he used, and Omi, well he bought anything techie he could get his hands on. But given any four of their rooms, next to his, Ken found hanging around Yohji's the most cozy of all - if not for the smell of cigarettes which constantly lingered around the older man. "How am I supposed to live without this?" He despaired, much to Yohji's amusement. "All right. I admit. I miss you like hell."

"We still have the flower shop, Ken. I still work there, you know that. Right?"

"Yeah, but..." Ken frowned, not wanting to finish the thought out loud. He didn't understand why Yohji had to move out too. He was afraid that it was only a matter of time when Yohji would also leave the shop. He winced as Yohji ruffled his hair.

"We better go." Yohji said.

Ken stood up and trudged after Yohji. While he waited for Yohji to finish closing shop, he leaned on the opposite wall of the narrow hallway. "What gives, Yohji? You wanted out of the business, but here you are as private investigator. You're bound to encounter the same demons sooner or later."

Yohji paused and turned, only to find Ken making a move to go ahead out the building. With a sigh, he gave the door a nudge to see it wouldn't give in, before following the younger man out.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes from the Author: **Hello! As promised, here is another swift update. I forgot to mention that the timeline is set after the first season. As for pairings, well just wait and see, but I wager you guys have an inkling about who it might be, haha. As for disclaimers which I forgot to mention previously (I'm such a noob. LMAO), I don't own anything, I'm really that poor. Anyway, thanks for the views and reviews! To RodiSquall, thanks for being patient with me even though my updates have been extremely sparse. Don't worry, I'm committing myself to finish these fics, as it would be a waste not to. Thanks to the readers, I'm very happy to have garnered views considering it has been a long time since I've written. So, without further ado, I give you the next installment! Enjoy!

**Chapter Two**

Nagi arrived late that night to find Crawford reading the paper. It was kind of ironic to see him doing that - Crawford, like any other man who get a kick out of reading the news instead of watching it on television, usually read it in the mornings. 'With coffee not alcohol', Nagi added the thought wryly, noting the glass of scotch on the side table. He cleared his throat softly and crossed the living room to occupy the armchair.

Crawford glanced to find the teen pick up a magazine and browse through it, both waiting for a cue.

After a while the game gets old. "Nagi, I'm not the telepath. You will have to speak what's on your mind."

Nagi paused and looked up, before averting his gaze. "I just want to know if there's anything coming up."

Crawford scrutinized his teammate before shrugging. "Of course there is. Although I don't know what you're looking for, so you have to be more specific."

Nagi frowned at that. Is that sarcasm in his voice? "I figure there's no point in hiding the fact that I've asked the help of a private investigator to help us find the others."

The older man deemed it only polite to put down the paper. Nagi, unlike Schuldig and Farfarello, usually talked with sense. "So you've told me."

"The private investigator I asked passed me onto a colleague of his." Nagi watched Crawford's nonchalant reaction before dropping the bomb. "You know who he is, don't you?"

"No, Nagi, honestly I can't know everything that's going on." Crawford frowned, reaching for his scotch. "We do have limitations."

"It's Balinese." Nagi said, trying to clamp down on his growing irritation at being dismissed as petty. He watched in disbelief as Crawford continued to regard him with undisguised apathy. "I was hoping you could tell me if this will bode well for us or not."

"It doesn't matter."

"What?"

"It doesn't." Crawford repeated, taking another swig of his drink, as if challenging Nagi to pop a nerve.

Nagi couldn't believe his eyes and ears. It looked to him as if Crawford was being possessed by Schuldig - at one point he hoped that it was true, and that Schuldig was trying to contact them through telepathy, but Crawford has impenetrable shields so that was impossible. Nagi scowled at what their leader have become. He sighed and prayed to the heavens to give him more patience. "Does that mean I can go ahead with this?"

Crawford shrugged, which for Nagi looked like, 'Yeah, what the hell.'

Nagi visibly slumped, giving up. "What is going on, Crawford?"

"Do you honestly expect me to answer that?" Crawford smiled bitterly. "I'm trying to keep my hold on things that help me keep sane." He reached for the paper again but put it on his lap instead. "Did you think I haven't tried looking for them? It's not that I don't care, Nagi. It's just..."

Nagi waited, hope slipping away as he couldn't believe he's seeing this from the older man. He was never visibly uncertain. He always knew what to do.

Crawford stared hard into his drink, shrugging. "It's like they don't want to be found."

Nagi watched the confidence deteriorate from Crawford by the second as the older man finished his drink. With a sigh, Nagi excused himself to his room, leaving the other to his own demons. He dumped himself on his bed, desperate and depressed. Schwarz was broken in more ways than one, and it appears that he might be the only one who actually wanted to fix it.

* * *

It's not like he didn't care.

It's not like he didn't know anything either.

Crawford routinely checked through whatever visions that came to him and found a few things in the immediate future that had something to do with them and Weiss, but he decided against telling Nagi that. Better to left the future untouched as much as possible so as not to let outside factors influence the favored outcome. As for anything that might help him find the other half of his team, he came up with nothing concrete, and he was beginning to suspect that they were muddling things for him on purpose.

When Nagi told him about seeking help from Balinese, he figured to give it a go, having nothing to lose from it. He figured the man was highly unlikely to go back to Weiss to regroup, what with having to return to his old business; if he did make up his mind about going back to Kritiker, at least they could have used his time to help them find their comrades.

What about confidential information regarding his teammates? Crawford sneered. If it had been Crawford and Nagi who were missing, the blond would have had better luck finding information which goes without saying that profiles about them were naturally sparse. It was bad enough that Nagi chose to find Schuldig first - among the four of them he had records close to nil. His lack of a proper name attests to that fact.

He finally stood from the sofa to get ready for his next job. Mentally he anguished at how long it had been since he had taken up an assignment with Schwarz as a whole. There were tough times, make no mistake about that, but they worked well as a team, to be able to faze some of the most dangerous yakuzas in the underworld.

For now, he probably would play along as there was nothing else to do. Crawford smiled as he trudged towards the shower. He might probably pay Balinese a visit just because.

* * *

Yohji gave up after a few tries, admiring his work or what he was able to make the most out of the bouquet he was working on. With Omi sneaking glances at him and Ken acting awkward around them, Yohji found it hard to concentrate; hell, he couldn't even take Nagi's case off his mind. He turned to Omi at the register. "Look, Omittchi-"

"Not here." Omi mouthed, as a few more customers/admirers filled the shop.

Yohji frowned, deeming it unfair that he was cut off and prohibited to talk about it when they were the ones who were making him feel uncomfortable. He glanced at his watch which told him he had precisely 30 minutes to wrap things up before leaving for his other job. He had to meet with some clients, among them Nagi.

Aya arrived a few moments later to relieve Yohji of his shift. Unlike the other two, Aya was never verbal about Yohji's decision. 'It's not like he didn't care,' Yohji told himself. The redhead was never really one to pry into anyone's personal issues. He scrutinized Yohji's latest creation with mild distaste.

"What?"

"I know it's been tough for you the first few days." Aya muttered bemused, saving the poor bouquet from further mutilation in the blond's hands, saying to himself, 'Although that doesn't give you an excuse to murder this arrangement'. "Go on ahead."

"Aya," Yohji whined weakly, a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I was distracted. It's Omi's fault!" Yohji accused the younger man good-naturedly, initiating a mild banter between them.

"Yohjikun, I didn't do anything..." Omi denied half-heartedly to which Yohji narrowed his eyes at comically.

Omi only shook his head before entertaining another customer.

Yohji turned to Aya with a smile - which faded as he recognized hurt, however faint on Aya's face.

Aya smiled tightly. "See you tomorrow."

Yohji gave the redhead a lingering gaze, a sort of assurance. For what? "'Kay."

Omi looked up from the purchase to see Yohji wave reluctantly at them. When the blond was nowhere in sight, he visibly slumped, the energy suddenly drained away as he looked at the remaining members of Weiss.

* * *

"I don't think this is such a good idea."

Yohji looked around nonchalantly at the fast food restaurant where he told Nagi to meet him. It was almost dinner, and Yohji figured he might as well take care of two things at once - his job and his stomach. God that burger seemed to jump right out of the menu. "Do you want this one?"

Nagi's mouth twitched half in annoyance and half in bemusement. Here he was in one of the busiest joints where swarms of teens and families usually eat amidst the wild happy chatter, while he was about to disclose strictly confidential information to his old archenemy.

Did he mention they were in a fast food joint? Right.

"This is the noisiest in the district." Yohji grinned, wriggling his pinkie around his ear for much needed emphasis; it was hard to hear him as it is amidst the childish squeals.

"Do you like this place so much?"

"Food's all right." Yohji shrugged. "It's one of the few luxuries I can afford right now. I've been living off ramen for the past two weeks."

Nagi sighed. "I'll have whatever you're having."

"Are you sure? I haven't eaten since morning."

"Whatever." Nagi frowned, watching the older man smile happily before sliding off the booth to fall in line. When the blond returned, Nagi found that Yohji had not been kidding. The things he had on the tray attest to the fact that it literally tore Nagi's mind away from his worries. "What is that supposed to be?"

"Food!" Yohji said triumphantly, sliding into the seat across him.

At that, Nagi was fondly reminded of Schuldig. With a sigh, he reached for his portion and examined it. "It's not possible to eat this without getting dirty, is it?"

"I got you a fork and a knife if you want. I don't know about you but I don't really care." Yohji said hurriedly before taking his first most anticipated bite. For all it was worth, it made Nagi bite back a smile.

It was one of Yohji's goals. He knew it won't be easy for both of them given their past. Also the lax atmosphere and the noise can mask the true purpose of their meeting. Besides, one of his pursuits was seated a few tables away.

A young woman was suspecting that his husband could be cheating on her. It was an easy case, the husband was easy to find. Now Yohji shook his head wonderingly, glancing at the man discretely and at the woman and child he was with. Later he might have to follow them out; it seemed to him that his client could be right about her assumption, apparently. 'Speaking of clients', Yohji watched Nagi for a while, who have decided to utilize the fork and knife that he was given.

"When was the last time you talked to him?"

Nagi frowned. "I never heard from either of them since the last mission."

Yohji nodded. Nothing much he can do about that one. "His things are still with you though, right?"

Nagi shrugged. "Just as he had left it."

"Well there must be something from his stuff he would come back for." Yohji thought loudly. "Maybe you can go through some of it, see if you can find anything. Past addresses, contacts..."

"I can do that, but I highly doubt any of his contacts would know or tell me where he is. As for important documents, I can ask Oracle about it."

"Yeah, you do that. I mean, at this point anything, any clue can help. I'm sorry if I'm imposing, but I'm sure you don't trust me to go through his stuff."

Nagi smiled tightly.

"Now to business." Yohji finally picked up his burger and took another huge bite.

Nagi's smile broke into a laugh that already sounded comfortable in Yohji's ears.

'Mission accomplished.'


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes from the Author**: Hello! Once again I'm here with a new chapter! I'm very much grateful for the views and reviews, and I noticed that some have even taken the time to browse through my older stuff so I'ma have to slow down on this one and work on the others as well!

Anyway, to RodiSquall, thanks once again for the review, as well as to Lommy. English is not my mother tongue as well so forgive me if I may have been a little vague in some parts. Let me know if you find trouble with anything! As for pairings, ah yes, I've lead myself into a trap with this. This is the first time I've written a story with no obvious pairings in mind except for one (and this is the one cliffhanger I'm allowing myself. Mwahahaha!). I admit though that you had me floored with this and suddenly I'm looking at the story in a different light. So, this is where the plot twisting begins! I hope I'm doing the Schuldig/Nagi (or Yohji/Nagi) justice so far, I promise there's more to come. Again disclaimer, I own nothing...and gosh this is getting too long so here goes the next chapter! Enjoy!

**Chapter Three**

"Hey Manx." Ken greeted, as he allowed the red haired woman step in before sliding down the metal shutters.

Manx surveyed the flower shop, where Omi was currently at the register, counting. When he looked up, he smiled briefly. "Aya's already downstairs. We'll be down in a minute."

She was meaning to ask him about Yohji, but figured to postpone her query for later. She headed for the mission room, where Aya was seated on the couch, leafing through a magazine. "Fujimiya."

Aya looked up and nodded in acknowledgement.

Manx sighed, heading for the player to set it up. It was more or less the reaction she expected to get from the other redhead. Task done, all that was left to do was wait. Manx decided to occupy the armchair.

"How's your sister?"

Aya glanced up and thin-lipped. "She's doing good at the university."

Manx watched the redhead leaf through another page, frowning. Aya avoided her sister at all costs, which Manx couldn't quite understand. Among the four, it was Aya who had a clear shot of reattaining a normal life, but he chose to forgo that chance, staying with Weiss and refusing to let her sister know that he was still alive.

'Men and their issues.' Manx sighed. "Is Yohji home?"

Aya shook his head, eyes still on the magazine.

"He's really into that business of his, huh?" Manx muttered bitterly. "Maybe we should recruit him for reconnaissance."

Aya paused, and looked up at her slowly. Sensing that it was half-meant, he sighed and let go of what he was reading. "I don't think it's a good idea to involve him. He wants nothing to do with Kritiker as much as possible."

Manx frowned. It kind of hurt, after all the years that the blond spent working for them, that he would just let go like that.

Aya smiled faintly, reading her mind. "Everyone has the right to move on if they want to, Manx."

Ken and Omi's footsteps stopped Manx's surprise at the usually remorseful assassin. Aya had never voiced his opinions, much less vocally defended his teammates on a more personal level. Mission-related probably yes he had, but to see this now from the stoic leader was new.

"Okay, let's start. Everyone has to be in on this." Manx stood, putting aside her sadness and worries for a little while. "It's an illegal drug ring involving some high profile people. Apparently, Oracle of Schwarz is somehow involved."

Ken's expression hardened as he settled beside Aya while Omi sat on the armrest of the chair that Manx had occupied a while ago.

Manx turned to the screen to see a slideshow of familiar businessmen, along with the profile of Oracle from Schwarz. "We do reconnaissance first; find out what Schwarz has to do with this."

While the screen continued on to play Persia's visage, she watched the remaining members of Weiss reactions and realized how much she missed Balinese. Without him in the picture, things were a little bit dull.

When the briefing was over, Manx made her way up the stairs to leave them to their assignment. By the time she was on the last step, Omi had caught up with her. "Manx, about Yohjikun."

"I know, I should leave him out. Everyone has the right to move on." Manx put a bored look on her face, leaning on the door jamb, crossing her arms. "Fujimiya told me."

Omi frowned, shaking his head, his face serious. "I haven't submitted his resignation yet."

Manx straightened. "What?"

"Everyone's under the impression that he's laying low for a while. But I've been persuading him to come back." Omi held on the railings as if his life depended on them. "I want Yohji to change his mind, Manx. I hope no one else in Kritiker knows he's leaving Weiss. Please don't tell anyone else."

Manx pursed her lips. Omi was technically the leader of the team, and future heir of Shuuichi. "I leave it to your discretion."

* * *

It was a few quiet months when Schwarz seemed to just vanish from the face of the earth. Weiss continued to receive missions, the absence of their rival team was noticeable. Aya began to think that Schwarz had disbanded, and left the underworld for good.

Oracle has resurfaced. He figured Yohji had to know - even though the stubborn man had refused time and again to come back to Weiss. He found a glimmer of hope that the news might help persuade him to become Balinese again.

Soon he found himself frozen on the spot upon seeing Yohji escorting Prodigy out the building of his office.

It took the blond a while to notice. Nagi had already left, and he had turned to go back up the short flight of stairs to his office. "Aya." The color instantly drained from his face upon seeing the silent rage in the redhead's eyes. Instantly he was whisked away from the safety of the sidewalk and dragged into his own office by a very angry Abyssinian.

"Aya, I can explain!" Yohji grinded out, with Aya pinning him to the wall.

A part of Yohji missed this fierce side of him, while the other part, well, simply wished it to vanish. He rather liked the silent, concerned Aya.

"What was Prodigy doing here?"

"He's a client of Kanzaki-san's! Kanzaki-san's a little bit over the head with stuff so he's reassigning some cases to me. I'm telling the truth, I swear!"

It had been a few intense minutes before Aya let go and fumed. "I defended you from Manx. I told her not to involve you with Kritiker matters anymore but here you are helping those-" He closed his eyes momentarily and let out a gust of breath. "I know, you didn't ask me to defend you from anyone. But this is not fair, Yohji!"

"Ayan," Yohji pleaded as Aya moved away from him. "Listen, I may be wrong in that I didn't tell you guys about it; but this is business. I have legal matters to follow and my clients can sue me for trading information - Aya," Yohji had jumped over and knocked down chairs and a magazine stand just to catch Aya who had made it to the door, immaculately unscathed. "Please understand."

The redhead glared at him. "Then I trust you that whatever you learned from Kritiker you do not divulge."

"Yes. Of course. Aya." Yohji promised.

"You understand that in doing this you are completely severing your ties with Kritiker."

Yohji stared at him disbelievingly. "To the organization, yes. But not with you guys."

Aya only frowned at him before turning to the door to leave.

"Aya! Shit," Yohji growled, knocking a lampstand completely before wrestling for the door and finally making it out. When he reached the sidewalk, the redhead was gone.

Yohji fumed, raking his hair back with his hand. Going after him at the flowershop might not be worth the trouble, since by then Aya would have let the others in on his little secret. "Damn it!"

"Have I caught you at a bad time?"

Turning, the blond's eyes widened at the site of the tall man by the lamp post. "Oracle."

Brad only smiled and bowed. "Perhaps I should come back another time."

"Wait." Yohji half-grumbled. "We might as well talk."

* * *

"Welcome to my humble abode." Yohji said in a sarcastic, light tone as he righted the appliances he had oveturned in the midst of trying to catch the redhead earlier. At this point, he didn't care; Oracle might have a squeaky-clean study of his own, but he isn't the one being accused of conspiracy here. Yohj turned upon reaching his armchair and offered the American a seat before taking a seat himself.

Brad soundlessly took the chair and glanced around him.

"It's not much." Yohji offered, hands clasped on the table shrugging. He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not even sure if all this is worth it anymore."

Brad turned to see the rather sullen look on the blond before smiling. "For all it's worth, I had no intention to drag you into this."

"Yeah, in as much as I would like to place the blame on you guys, I pretty much had it coming. I know what I'm getting into is no clean business, but I didn't expect to handle a case like this, much less involving you."

"Your team didn't take it very well, I suppose."

"They're not my team anymore." Yohji muttered, eyes downcast for a while. Regaining his thoughts, he smiled tightly at the older man. "Where are my manners. Coffee?"

Brad only nodded, much to Yohji's surprise. He reluctantly stood and produced two cups of coffee on the other side of the room.

"So," Yohji returned adjusted himself in his seat, coffee served. "What brings you here?"

"Nagi has been here, hasn't he?"

"Yes, a while ago." Yohji frowned. Although Oracle might be a close acquaintance of his client, he was still bound by contract to not divulge information related to the case.

Oracle seemed to know what he was thinking. "I've no objections to what he's been doing. He's actually told me that you are working on this case. For that I am somehow grateful."

Yohji gazed at the older man for a minute or two, waiting for a punchline that never came. He shook his head, dropping three more sugars to his cup. "So, what do you need, exactly?"

"Nagi wants Schuldig found first, correct?"

Yohji thought about it; the kid never really mentioned the other missing guy that much. Clearly, Schuldig is the more important quarry here. "I can wager a guess as to why."

Oracle took a sip from his coffee, looking at the blond expectantly.

"Well, he's the telepath. If we find him, it's easy to find the other one. He can track Farfarello's thoughts."

"There might be a possibility that he could."

Yohji frowned. Talking to Oracle is like solving an enigma. "What, you think otherwise?"

"You won't be able to find him."

"So you know something?"

"I'd have seen it by now, but so far I have no clue. Schuldig doesn't have records. No one knows his real name. What makes you think you can find him?"

Yohji was wounded. "I happen to take pride in my work; there was never an unsolved case back in the day when I owned this district."

Oracle smiled at that, conceding lightly. "I never doubted your skills, Kudou. What I'm really saying is that you don't know who or what you're dealing with. Schuldig is a stranger to you."

He had a number of comebacks to that, but he chose to be silent.

Oracle admired Yohji's patience. "I'll give you a hint. Weiss in a way, has always been a mirror of Schwarz. Ironically, not only by number, but also personalities. What if I tell you that among Schwarz, Schuldig shared the most qualities with you?"

Yohji's brows shot up. Well he'd have to agree that he had the same flambuoyant nature as the German, but still. 'Where is he leading me with this?'

"You're not going back to Weiss. That is your final decision, correct?"

Yohji nodded.

"Have you ever thought about the possibility that you're not the only one who wants to lead a normal life?"

Yohji placed his cup back on its saucer. The hardest things to find are the things that didn't want to be found.

"Just like your teammates wanted you back, Nagi wants the same for Schwarz. It's the only family he's got. But you got to admit, the life we have is an ugly way to live. Who would want to come back to that?"

Yohji sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

Oracle shrugged. "I'm not discouraging you. You can try to find him if you like; but you'll be disappointed when you do. He'll just try to lose himself again."

"Then I'll just have to find him again."

"Maybe, Balinese," Oracle chortled, "some cases aren't meant to be solved. Maybe it's the client that needs help to forget and let go."

Yohji frowned at that. "You'll need psychiatric help for that. That's outside my scope."

"True."

"I'm just doing my job here. I make it a point to help the case get somewhere regardless if things turn for the better or the worse. At least I try to get some answers. I can tell Nagi I found him someplace, and that he doesn't want to come home."

"Then you should remember my tip." Oracle raised the mug to his lips. "It's the only thing I can give you for now."


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes from the Author: **Greetings! Sorry to keep you waiting, I had to tweak some things in the next chapter to accommodate some stuff. To everyone reading and reviewing this story, thanks for your never-ending patience! Once again, special thanks to Lommy, laurose and RodiSquall. Yes, I've been wondering why I haven't done a Crawford/Yohji yet, maybe I could accommodate that one here as well! As for Crawford, well there will be times when he knows too much for his own good, and there will be times when he really doesn't know what's going to happen next. I'd like to slightly veer away from the notion that he can see almost everything before it happens. Hope I did him justice so far, lol.

Anyway, again, disclaimers, I own nothing and no one (wish I own Yohji, but I can only dream). Without further ado, the next chapter! Will Yohji be kicked out of the flower shop? Let's find out!

**Chapter 4**

"No Yohji-san, please don't listen to him," Nagi pleaded, chasing the blond on the sidewalk, the rush of the warm afternoon air putting a glow on his cheeks. "They need to be found."

It had been yesterday when Aya had given Yohji his two cents about his situation. He had to put that behind for now; he needed to work, otherwise it's ramen again for the whole week. He stopped, turned and flashed Nagi a bemused smile. "Wow, first-name basis. Glad you're warming up to me, kid."

"Please, Yohji-san." Nagi stopped beside him, slightly winded.

"You know, I'm beginning to think that you're the one who needs saving more than those two." Yohji leaned on a post of a nearby shop. "Why do you want them found, Nagi?"

"Because they're my teammates!" Nagi couldn't believe his ears. Oracle's powers of persuasion can be annoying at best. How could this man be swayed when Nagi's reasons are entirely valid? "They're family."

"Okay, let's stop for a moment there."

"What-" Nagi fumed, eyes wild and slightly teary. "There should be no questions about this. I am your client and you need to solve this case."

Yohji broke into small fits of laughter, much to Nagi's disbelief.

"How dare you make fun of this!"

"Naggles, I never make fun of business." Yohji shook his head chuckling. "Also, I never said I'd stop looking for them."

Nagi glared at him wordlessly, both relieved and infuriated. "Don't mangle my name."

"Come on, I bet the others have nicknames for you." Yohji pushed away from the post, patted the boy on the head fondly and led him inside the shop, which was in fact a little bistro.

"Yes, they do. Schuldig has probably called me that, among other nicknames I detest but that doesn't give you the same right."

"All right, fine. So, family, huh?" Yohji smiled. "What's a typical morning like, for you guys?"

A few moments after having ordered and being served their breakfast, Nagi watched Yohji as he dropped another sugar cube into his coffee before stirring. He thought there was only one person in the entire universe who can drink coffee sweet enough to poison.

"Crawford's a black coffee person, right?" Yohji asked, sensing the other watching him.

Nagi nodded. "But mostly without sugar."

"Do I even dare ask what Farf has in the mornings?" Yohji asked before lifting his mug. Towards the end of their breakfast, Yohji already had a couple of nicknames for all members of Schwarz.

Nagi didn't know if it was on purpose or for the sake of convenience; Farfarello especially has a long first name and Schuldig's is just plain hard to pronounce. "Ironically, he shares cereals with Schuldig, if he's up early, or if there's any. Otherwise, fruits. Or shakes, since he's inclined to use the blender for some reason."

Yohji tried to picture Schwarz on the breakfast table. Crawford was the type to read the morning paper with coffee. With a bagel perhaps. Nagi would probably have a full breakfast; he has school so he needed it. Schuldig and Farfarello are probably not into breakfast, they'd likely have something that was easy to prepare; if Schuldig preferred cereals, Yohji would probably reach for instant noodles. "I don't usually eat cereals. Ken has those, otherwise he has whatever Omi has. Or fruit juice. He's a health buff."

Nagi frowned. "Why the analogy?"

"Well your leader said I could use it." Yohji shrugged. He picked up another sugar cube for better measure.

"I can't even imagine the taste of that." Nagi winced. "You remind me too much of Schuldig."

Yohji stirred his drink slowly with a grim smile. "Sorry."

Nagi picked at his food to distract himself. "What is this?"

"It's creme brulee."

"What?"

Yohji rolled his eyes before repeating it flawlessly.

"Oh." Nagi muttered. He'd butcher the word if he tried it out loud, and the last thing he wanted was for Yohji to think it's utterly cute for someone like Nagi trying to learn the foreign word. He knew he'd never hear the end of it. He wondered at that; Yohji didn't look remotely Japanese. He cleared his throat, trying to hide the slight blush creeping up his cheeks. "Your mother's a gaijin[1]?"

Yohji nodded. "English."

Nagi nodded in realization; hence the European car.

"Does Schuldig ever tell you about his childhood?"

Nagi shrugged, carefully rolling the piece of delicasteen around his mouth. He decided that he liked the taste of it. "He almost never does. When he finds himself talking about it though, he just sort of trails off and then changes the subject. Crawford told me once that he was the one who picked him off the streets. He was on the verge of a breakdown and Crawford offered to help. Anyway, anything they ever tell me involved their time after Rosenkreuz. Before that..." Nagi shook his head.

Yohji frowned. "Why is that? Was Rosenkreuz that harsh?"

Nagi nodded. "I'm not even sure if Schuldig ever went there, but if he did, the discipline is no joke, and mischievous students like him often get punished, so if he did go there then maybe that explains why sometimes he's not right in the head."

Yohji shook his head wonderingly as he watched Nagi grin. "Some compassionate teammate you are, kiddo."

"Hey, I went through similar troubles." Nagi defended. "Schuldig's just more...rebellious."

"I'll take your word for that." Sighing, Yohji downed the last of his coffee and stared outside, worry evident on his face. His thoughts turned to his ex-teammates, who must really hate his guts by now. Maybe if he could disappear for a while...not like Schuldig though. But where would he go?

If he wanted to lose himself for a night or two, he would go to a club.

If he wanted to lose himself for a week, a beach getaway maybe, it's been a long time since he tried that. Chances like those were hard to come by when he was in Weiss.

Crawford said that he shared something similar with the redhead, so maybe he would have done the same...

But it's been almost a year.

Where would he want to be if he wanted to be away for that long?

Home. If he had one that is.

But that somehow contradicts the situation. Schuldig's home is with Schwarz.

Right?

"I don't suppose Schuldig has any relatives left?" Yohji asked softly.

"Not that I know of." Nagi looked up, puzzled at the question.

'I'd make one.' Yohji thought. If he wanted a home, he would settle down, probably make a family of his own, change his life, and forget his past.

If he had any, Yohji frowned, he would visit them, possibly live with them. It didn't matter where they were, he would go there. "Is it possible for them to leave the country?"

"If they wanted." Nagi answered forlornly. Neither of them have discussed the possibility in the past, although Nagi was sure Yohji had been keeping it at the back of his head as one of the worst case scenarios.

'Right. You're getting ahead of yourself.' Yohji sighed. If Crawford is right, Yohji would try to find the places Schuldig frequented before they disappeared. "Do you know any hangout places he used to go to?"

"Clubs." Nagi said uncertainly.

Aha. Yohji narrated every singly joint he knew. Nagi nodded to a few of them, which meant the redhead more or less has the same taste in music as him. "I probably should look into them."

"Okay."

Yohji seized himself from wandering into his own little detective world to look back at Nagi. He couldn't resist the urge to lift the other man's chin. "Hey. I'm going to look for them. All right? I'm not going to leave this case hanging."

Nagi nodded, momentarily stunned by the sweet gesture. When he got his bearings, he straightened up and picked up his glass to drink water.

"Afraid I have to go though, I got another client after lunch." Yohji made a show at looking his watch.

The suggestion to leave was just music to his ears. There was a limit as to how long Nagi can keep the red in his cheeks from getting more noticeable. "Sure. I got school anyway."

Yohji nodded automatically, standing up and letting the younger man lead the way out. It was only when Nagi had crossed the street and was on the next block that Yohji realized one thing.

It was Sunday.

* * *

Yohji couldn't get a decent sleep and was aghast when the morning caught up with him. The soft rays of sunshine caught the blond wearily getting up his bed and slowly getting ready for his shift at the flower shop, one he had been dreading since Aya barged in his office. He went through the possible arguments that his ex-teammates might throw at him, and yet the only comeback he had was that it was nothing personal; it's just business.

But he swore he would have nothing to do with Kritiker-related stuff. Yet here he is, handling a missing person case, much less that of Estet's agents. Aya was right in that he found that unfair, helping the other side. Should he be able to put Schwarz together, then what? They would be four assassins against three of Weiss. He had more to lose than gain from it.

Why pursue the case then? He was tied down by the agreement. The hand-me-down cases from Kanzaki-san paved the road to salvation for Yohji's latent detective skills and personal bank funds. Let's not forget his own pride.

Omi. Yohji ran his hands through his hair after hurriedly pulling a pair of decent jeans and shirt. Omi would tell him what to do; Ken and Aya's vantage point is from an assassin's point of view. Omi can possibly see this the way a proprietor of a business would, him being the son of Shuuichi Takatori.

After smoothing down his clothes and checking at his reflection for the umpteenth time he sighed wearily and left his room, soft footsteps descending the stairs quietly. He couldn't remember who would be taking the first shift with him, so he prayed that it was Omi who would greet him today.

The good news was that he found Omi putting out the plants in the stands.

The bad news was that Aya was manning the register.

"Hey guys," Yohji greeted wanly with a tight smile as he snatched his apron from the storage door beside the register. "Busy day today?"

"Hey Yohjikun," Omi beamed at him, returning from outside. "You can continue bringing these out, I'm going to start-up the water hose."

"Sure thing," Yohji muttered, momentarily glancing at Aya who only ignored him while counting the notes in the register. At least the blond isn't as hostile to him which meant Aya might not have said anything to the others yet. He watched Omi as he proceeded to the back and found the row of plants that needed to be transferred outside. "Hey, Omi?"

"Yeah?" Omi called from farther back, struggling with the water hose he hoisted on his shoulder.

"Um, we still have water cans, right?"

Omi laughed. "Yeah, but I figured we're just opening shop, not much customers and it's convenient not having to keep coming back for water refills."

Yohji smiled, picking up two medium-sized plants before following Omi outside. He could feel Aya's eyes on him as he went on three more trips from the storage to the front of the shop, and soon all the plants were on the stands with Omi spraying them with water.

"Omittchi, can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"Has there even been an instance when your personal life has been affected by work?"

Omi gave him a weird look but returned to the plants. "Well I think all of us have gone through it in some way. I can vouch for that, the borderline between my work and my life is virtually non-existent."

Yohji felt the need to elaborate. "How about, has your work ethics gotten in the way of personal decisions?"

Turning off the water, the younger man turned to him with furrowed brows. "What's wrong, Yohjikun?"

Crossing his arms, trying to put things in perspective, Yohji finally sighed. "Schwarz is my client."

Omi's eyes slightly widened before he discreetly looked around for any bystanders. When he found none, he glanced at the redhead inside, retrieving order slips from the cork board and starting to work on the arrangements. "Aya knows."

It wasn't really a question. The redhead was usually quiet, but everyone notices when something doesn't sit well with him. Yohji bit his lip in agreement.

"Since when?"

Yohji found that it was easier to go straight to the point. "A few days ago."

"Why do they need your help?"

"They just wanted their other two comrades found." Yohji answered. "They've been missing since that last mission."

Omi frowned. "So you're helping them?"

"I had to. This case was handed down to me by a colleague. I couldn't say no." Yohji ran his fingers along his hair. "I shouldn't have helped, should I?"

Omi shook his head uncertainly. "How do you want me to look at it?"

Yohji sighed leaning on a stand and crossing his arms. "I guess I'd like your point of view supposing you were in my shoes."

"Well the easiest would have been to talk things over with your colleague, sort out cases I could take on and leave the rest to him."

Yohji nodded at that; apparently he didn't have the luxury to choose. Kanzaki had just dropped off the files in his office with a note and a bribe for a favor.

"Since unfortunately you seem to not have that," Omi guessed, "I probably would have taken it."

"Yes, thank you." Yohji let out a great sigh of relief.

"But." Omi frowned at him sternly, "I would have thought to ask the team first before I do it."

"You would..despite non-confidentiality agreements?"

Omi sighed wearily, sparing the redhead a glance. "Well, there is that concern about violating the contract-"

"See? That's what I told him-"

"But I would like to think that yes, I would have told the team." Omi finished.

"Really? Takatori Mamoru?"

"Okay maybe." Omi pouted at the inside joke. "Still, it's very risky. Usually, you can find in contracts that you are not allowed to take on a similar job or an offer from a rival company within a given period." Omi smiled grimly, "And of course from the view of an ex-teammate, I would have said no. If you find them, then you will have robbed us of an advantage over them. More or less, that's how Ayakun and Kenkun might see it."

Yohji smiled faintly. "I know, Omi. I also understand the others if they get mad at me for this. I wish I had a choice to reject it, but I couldn't wait for Kanzaki-san. But thanks, Omi. Really."

"You're welcome. Now go away before I change my mind about dousing you with water." Omi chided, making the older man laugh and raise his hands in surrender.

Little did Yohji know know that Omi and Kritiker already had something in the works, that will change the status and the viewpoint of both Weiss and Schwarz soon, one in which he had little control in, and he could almost see Aya regard him in the same viewpoint as Yohji.

* * *

[1] Gaijin = foreigner


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes from the Author: **Christmas is almost here and I have yet to finish my Christmas fic, but I'm picking up where I left off here first before I proceed with that. Anyway, thanks once again for the reviews, most of which I really take into account that helps this fic shape into...well something else entirely different than the original I wrote, which means even better! I hope I've satisfied you with my answers so far: to laurose, thanks so much for the feedback! I'll do better next time! To the readers, I'm really overwhelmed, to think that anyone would actually read this. lol. Anyway, to continue with my madness, here is the next installment, which I hope you'll enjoy!

**Chapter 5**

The blond downed his fourth glass before swerving to face the dance floor. He felt good that Omi understood his position, but was saddened at the fact that Aya, and probably Ken saw him as a traitor. He tried to put it out of his mind as he confirmed from the bartender that a certain man who fits Schuldig's description used to frequent this bar. It was three months ago since he was last seen. Other patrons he said, used to be buddies with him, and they still come, usually when the club is less crowded.

That couldn't be right. When you go to a club your intention is to lose yourself in the noise and the sea of unknown people. If you go a few minutes before closing time, all you'll see are bar girls righting up chairs and tables and putting away empty bottles. He asked the bartender if he knew any of the other employees in the club; he shook his head. The guy mostly kept to himself, and if he did chat among the other patrons, it was mostly mild banter.

He stood up wearily. This isn't the only joint he usually went to; Schuldig was probably inclined to go club hopping and this was often his last stop; the patrons were a bonus, and assuming he shared small talk with them, he probably considered them decent to talk to. He never figured him as someone who could actually do that and still go home sober; perhaps Nagi was right in that Schuldig may not be right in the head sometimes.

"It's Kristiaan you're looking for, am I right?"

Yohji turned to see a decent looking gaijin, probably Crawford's age. "Excuse me?"

"The redhead."

Yohji watched the man take the stool beside his. He followed his lead and reclaimed his seat. "Uhm. Yeah. German, tall, nasaly -"

The man laughed. "At's him all right." He raised his hand to the bartender and ordered two drafts. "I'm Colin." He turned and offered him a handshake to which Yohji took. "You seem familiar."

"I come by every now and then." Yohji said, although it's been quite a while since he visited clubs; his hard-earned money must be spent wisely. Going back, he figured Schuldig would probably use an alias. "So, Kristiaan, um, have you seen him?"

"Yeah, well I used to be a regular here. But since Kris left, I somehow lost the interest. I only come when our other chaps go, you know?"

"He went, where?"

"I dunno, he never really was very outspoken. But darn good at poker, you see. It's why we have these meetups late into the night, not the best place, I know but somehow we came to know each other here. Ei, bartender?"

The bartender only shook his head ruefully. "I've been serving them for a few months now, and still he doesn't remember my name." He put their mugs down and offered a handshake to which Yohji accepted. "George."

"I know it." The man laughed. "Anyway, I'm really sorry mate I can't help you, but you can wait a few for our fellas and ask around. There has to be a soul somewhere here who knew where the fella went."

Yohji smiled courteously as the man patted him on the back. "Thanks."

* * *

Yohji proceeded out into the hall, swung both doors open and ran the last few steps down towards the parking area. He had connections at the German embassy, but that didn't help him either. They have never seen anyone that matched Schuldig's description.

"Do you really think he'd need to go to the embassy if he didn't have documents to begin with?"

Yohji whipped around to find Oracle standing near a post. "Heavens will you stop doing that?"

Oracle's face was deadpan. "Haven't you ever considered the fact that the man's very existence is illegal?"

"Hey, we shared the same occupation but I do have legal documents."

"He doesn't. I told you already. Legal documents are required at the embassy." Oracle walked with the blond to his car.

"Couldn't he manipulate the people into thinking that he had them?"

Oracle smiled ruefully. "Then why go through the process? If he wanted to go abroad, he can go straight to the airport, fool the staff into thinking he was one of the passengers, and get in the plane headed to heaven knows where."

"Can you stop playing devil's advocate for once? You should be helping me out. Do you really want them found or not?" Yohji growled irrately, fumbling for his keys.

"I'm just giving you possibilities."

"Then maybe I should look around the airport, see if anyone can identify him." Yohji shut the door of his seven, but that didn't stop Crawford from leaning over his window.

"He's a telepath, Yohji. He can manipulate people's minds."

Yohji groaned and rested his head on the steering wheel. "Do you want me to stop this? You can ask me nicely, Oracle. Hell, you're not even my client and I'm giving you the authority to withdraw this case."

The older man chuckled. "It's Brad Crawford."

"Fine, Brad Crawford. I don't care anymore. Tell Nagi you want me out of this case."

"If it's going to help you, I don't think Schuldig can get out of the country just yet."

Yohji looked up wearily, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Really?"

"I think so. After all, I have control over our funds."

Yohji's frowned at that. "Schuldig's apparently very good at poker."

Brad arched a brow.

"He's been playing with these group of gaijins at one of the clubs. He might have used his winnings to get him out of the country."

"He might." Brad nodded.

Yohji watched the man walk away from his door, only to find him go around the car and let himself into the passenger seat. Yohji didn't know whether to be irked at this. "What are you doing?"

"Sitting in your car. It feels more comfortable than it looks."

"Why thank you. Now leave."

"So rude, Balinese. I'm just trying to help."

Yohji stared ahead infuriatingly, gripping the steering wheel hard. "Don't call me that." 'I'm not Balinese anymore.'

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Brad said after a while, leaning back. "Anyway, I suppose it doesn't help that information is not made available to you, if not existing, forbidden. It's frustrating and depressing."

Yohji peered over his companion. He was probably talking about the both of them, how Yohji couldn't seem to gather enough information or traces, while Crawford could not see anything in the immediate future regarding his missing teammates.

"Funny how Schuldig used to pay me back big time whenever he thinks I annoy him." Crawford smiled bitterly, tapping the dashboard and stepping out the car. He did drive himself to the embassy after all, and had no intentions of leaving his own ride.

"Can you do it again?" Yohji said suddenly before the American could walk away.

"What?"

"Annoy him. Maybe he'll come back."

Crawford chuckled. "I wish it were that simple."

"Come on, Brad. If there's one thing that annoys the hell out of him, what would it be?"

Brad smiled. "Hurting the ones he love."

Yohji furrowed his brows. Schuldig loves someone?

Brad sighed. "Love can also encompass platonic relationships. I can see in the future that Weiss will meet me soon. If by chance Schuldig gets wind of it, he'll come back."

"What if he doesn't?" Yohji asked.

"Then you have your clue that at least he's not in the city." Crawford then walked away, hand raised to bid him farewell. Yohji shook his head, started up the ignition and left.

* * *

"Humor me, oh great Oracle." Yohji frowned, when after a week Weiss and Oracle did meet and fought in a mission.

Brad smiled bitterly. Schuldig used to chide him like that. "What's on your mind?"

Yohji momentarily stared at Oracle's bandaged arm before looking out the hotel balcony. "Three things. First, why are we here?"

"My client's hideout has been found out so we moved here temporarily until we've found a place to relocate."

"Didn't you see that coming?"

"Is that the second?"

"No, follow-up question." Yohji turned to accept the complimentary drink from a personal butler of Crawford's current client.

"Like I said, I don't see everything happening. If I did, I'd have known where the other half of my team went, and Nagi wouldn't need your service. Nonetheless, my client is grateful that whatever is important to him remains untouched. Hence Weiss was not successful."

Yohji nodded. He cared for his ex-teammates, but their business was no longer his own. "Okay, then second thing. No Schuldig?"

"None." Crawford answered simply, bitterness lacing his voice.

"Not in the city then, possibly." Yohji muttered. "Either that or he knew you've hurt yourself on purpose to make him come."

The older man snorted. "I beg your pardon, this is an accident."

Yohji sipped from his glass wine before gulping down hard. "With a gift like yours? How could you not see that one coming?"

"I am not magnanimous, Kudou."

Shaking his head, Yohji thought he could never comprehend how Schwarz's abilities work. Maybe in time...'In time, Kudou? Do you intend to spend more time with these people? It's been jeopardizing your ties with your friends.'

Crawford turned to him with a bemused smile on his face. "Sometimes I think you spend more time than you should on this case."

"Like I said I take pride in my work." Yohji frowned. "I take care of my clients, so in turn they can bring in more profit."

"Ah, spoken like a true businessman."

Yohji shook his head. "I have to; what I'm being paid now compared to how much Kritiker gives me during my time isn't much. We may live together in a shoe box but it's a very nice shoe box, and I happen to own a very nice car."

"Then why don't you go back?" Crawford asked.

"Because, it's a sad life to live. Yes, it's rewarding if you're on the vengeful side, or if you don't care where the money came from so long as you can provide for your luxuries. I'm through with that. No amount of money can pay for the nightmares I have or for the loved ones I lost." Yohji sighed. "I'm not saying you guys, or Weiss for that matter, should leave, there is no right or wrong way. This is my decision and I'm standing by it."

The older man nodded curtly, looking at his companion. "I respect that." He raised a finger to make another point. "Although, I'll have to say that you should remain vigilant. Weiss is popular in the underground as is Schwarz. There are people who have personal vendettas against people like us."

"I know that." Yohji frowned. "Why are you smiling?"

"Smiling can mean many things." Crawford shrugged, turning to the view of the city before them. "One can mean amusement and surprise to learn that you thought you know something, only to find out that there's still some things you didn't know."

Yohji snorted, examining his empty glass before sauntering inside to find a place where he can leave it.

Crawford followed suit, and found himself at the dinning room with the blond. "What's the third?"

Yohji placed his glass on the table before turning to the older man. Never in his lifetime would he have thought to hold a decent conversation with the American, without spite. Once again he was reminded that like Weiss, Schwarz is also human, in a way, sans the talent they happen to possess. If the roles were reversed, he was sure he would have done the same, taken advantage of the opportunity to overturn all of their enemies with a flick of a wrist, a commanding thought, or a few seconds of bought time.

If anyone else in Weiss other than him had been standing in this spot, that person would have attacked the Oracle without hesitation. He observed that the more frequent they meet, the more they let each other's guards down. It was a mistake, in the event that Yohji happen to change his mind, or if Oracle suddenly saw something that would justify him having to kill Yohji right now.

He realized Crawford was waiting for his answer, and thought that he wasn't that comfortable yet with the older man to be discussing his third concern. "Maybe some other time."

Crawford smiled.

"Unless you've forseen it. In which case I apologize for asking." 'God I wish he hadn't.' Yohji mentally hit himself in the head for always forgetting that minor advantage the Oracle had against him, when ironically he never failed to chide the other man how he couldn't see certain things ahead of time.

"I have no clue as to what you're talking about."

Yohji sighed with relief.

"Oh wait, there it is." Crawford grinned, when it looked like something suddenly dawned on him.

Yohji didn't know whether to be amazed or be ashamed of himself. While he find it amusing that he can make the Oracle laugh, he also found it embarrassing that he can make such a complete fool of himself in front of the leader of Schwarz.

The older man waved his hand in disregard. "I don't mind, really. I actually find your question quite valid."

"Well, it just kind of hit me what you said about Schuldig being protective of the ones he consider important." Yohji carefully reworded his inquiry. "It's normal to wonder if he ever had someone special in his life."

"None that I know of. I don't exactly keep track of his conquests or the clubs he frequent." Crawford smiled. "But he's especially mindful of Nagi, hence their closeness, and he fears me out of all of us, if you can call that respect. He did have a sort of interest in you back in the day -"

Yohji arched a brow at that. "Seriously?"

"You're not hard to like." Crawford swallowed his mirth. "Unlike your comrades, you have an open mind. It would have been possible for us to be friends if you weren't in Weiss."

He thought about that and silently agreed. "Well the reason I asked anyway is he might have gone with that person, whoever he is."

"He left with Farfarello." Crawford shrugged. "But I reckon they've gone their separate ways."

Yohji sighed, running his fingers along his hair. He was frustrated that the case was going nowhere. He was probably looking at it from the wrong angle. 'Then how should I look at it?' "Maybe if I look for something else other than Schuldig, then this would work."

"Who, Farfarello? He's almost as tough to find. The only real information I can give you about him is already in Nagi's files."

Yohji nodded curtly. He knew Farfarello's real first name only, which was Jei. An Irishman, a son of a catholic nun - probably one of the reasons why he renounced his faith.

"Well, if you start by checking every catholic church in the country, you might find him."

"You're serious?"

Crawford shrugged. "Every religious gathering you can find, unless he left the country. In which case, you have two options. Ireland, or Italy."

Yohji fervently hoped Oracle was wrong about Farfarello abroad and mentally took note of everything else as he turned to leave.

"Kudou."

Yohji paused and glanced at a smirking Oracle.

"I really didn't have a clue about the third one until you gave it away."

The blond glared, before hastily leaving the room with a slight blush on his cheeks.


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes from the Author:** Hello! Before anything else, I would like to greet eveyrone (and this is my last chance, this being the last day of a very long celebration of the holidays) merry Christmas and a happy new year! Thanks as always to the readers for their never ending support! As one of my gifts to you for the holidays, I bring the next chapter of this story. Will Yohji find Farfarello in faraway Italy? His home Ireland? Let's find out!

(Telepathic thoughts are in Italic.)

**Chapter 6**

Thankfully, Crawford was wrong about Ireland and Italy. Yohji found that out as soon as he began his excursion throughout the nearby cities when he found no trace of him in the churches within Tokyo.

There are only two other catholic diocese in the country. One of them, where he found Farfarello, was in Nagasaki.

There are a lot of religious significance that came along with the city. Other than the fact that only 0.4 percent of the population were actually catholic, this city was the first to adapt the religion.

Farfarello would have gone back to Ireland to see how his old town was doing.

Then he realized something.

His theory won't hold - supposing either Farfarello or Schuldig had any relatives or friends left, they would be the last people they would go to. Something Crawford said suddenly came to him.

'Weiss is popular in the underworld as is Schwarz. There are people who have a personal vendetta against people like us.'

If they had the mind not to involve their loved ones, they would stay clear of them. While true, Farfarello wouldn't have gone to Ireland, it didn't mean they couldn't go out of the country.

Farfarello could have gone to Rome to ransack every religious artifact he could get his hands on. Hell, if he didn't care at all, he could have gone to Ireland and stage a killing spree.

Thankfully though, he stayed in Japan.

Yohji got lucky with the first church he saw; it was located in a small town where few people lived, and it was sundown so many people were walking home. Unlike in the cities where the city lights signal the start of night life, here the town goes to sleep with the sunset.

He was too tired from the trip that he hadn't really planned how to approach Berserker. The younger man didn't know yet that Yohji had no intention to kill him. The blond hid by the walls of the church upon seeing his quarry exit the grounds. Yohji took in the almost white hair which had grown a bit that it no longer stood on end. The eyepatch was no longer there; his other eye bore a small scar that ran from eyelid to upper cheek. The other one shone like gold under the rays of the sunset.

Yohji quickly turned his back when Farf left the vicinity of the church. He was a few yards away when Yohji decided to follow. 'Where is he going?' He watched as he carefully stayed away from view. The guy simply stood out in the crowd without meaning to, with his white hair and fair skin. Back in the city he radiated trouble just by the mere sight of him and yet here he was walking towards the direction of the wet market with nothing else but curious stares directed at him.

'Must be the get-up.' Yohji thought bemusedly, noting the faded khaki and white shirt rolled at the sleeves. He could pass for a local if you ignored everything else.

The younger man paused in his stride, making Yohji rush into the nearest alley he could find, which was hard, since there were only dirt roads and makeshift tents around. He settled for a store which sold handicraft, and pretended to look at the gemstones in display.

"Find something you like, sir?"

Yohji glanced up to a young boy's voice. He smiled, while a certain trinket caught his attention.

"It's cerulean." The boy offered, picking up the article and giving it to Yohji for closer inspection.

'Like his eyes.' Yohji thought, examining the cut of the gem, intricately placed in a frame perched on a black string. He fished out some coins and bought it on a whim, also to buy himself a little time and not to follow Berserker too close.

When he got back to the main road though, Farfarello was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly he felt something hard and heavy land on his head, and his eyes struggled to see in the growing darkness.

"Mister?"

Yohji blinked himself awake and came to terms with a searing headache. The boy's poking didn't help much. "S'okay kid. I'm up."

The boy wordlessly offered a hand, which the tall man took. He couldn't help but chuckle at the boy's effort as he struggled to pull him up.

"Thanks."

"You forgot your change." He opened his hand and showed him a few coins to which Yohji waved dismissively.

"It's yours." He smiled tightly, clutching his head. He looked around the dimming area and found his quarry lost.

"Thanks." The boy began cheerfully, then seemed to stop himself. "He said you should leave."

It took Yohji a while to understand what the kid was saying. "You saw my friend? Where did he go?"

The boy only shook his head. "I'm not sure, mister; but he doesn't seem like he wanted to see you."

'No kidding,' Yohji sighed wearily, raking his hair with his hand. He stooped down and mused with the boy's hair. "Can you tell me which way he went?"

The boy reluctantly pointed north of them.

"Thanks, kid."

* * *

'No Farfarello.'

Yohji sighed, a number of possibilities running through his mind. He already reached the end of the city, and the night has already fallen. He thought it best to get a decent room in one of the hostels near the marketplace.

He found vacancy in one where it also had a small pub below it. After paying for a room and receiving the key, he thought he deserved a drink or two.

"Draft?" Yohji inquired, to which the bartended nodded. He put up a rather big mug, and filled it to the brim with ice-cold gold liquid. 'Ah, salvation.'

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"Yohji's eyes widened at the boy who had taken a stool beside him. "Hey...wait. You're allowed here?"

"My father's the bartender." The boy nodded. "Ojii, can we go home now?"

The man turned with a smile on his face. "Just one more hour."

Yohji exchanged greetings with him before the man attended to another customer. He turned to the boy and grinned. "Well, lucky you."

"I'm not allowed to drink, though." The boy said grimly, to which Yohji laughed at. He had never pictured himself having a conversation in the pub with a boy a third of his age. He patted the boy's head. "You'll get your turn when you're older."

"Have you seen your friend?"

"I think I lost him." Yohji sighed softly, minutely staring at the froth before wiping the rim of the mug with his finger.

"What happened to him? Did you have a fight?"

Yohji grinned at that. "Kind of, I guess."

"You should have given him your gift. Maybe if he sees it, he will forgive you."

He looked up with a bemused look. 'A gift?' He reached for the trinket which he still had in his pocket and showed it to the boy. "This one?"

"I think he'd like that."

"Oh? Why is that?" Yohji furrowed his brow puzzlingly.

"It matches his eyes."

* * *

Suddenly, it was a noisy morning.

Yohji hadn't really drank that much, just enough to put him into deep sleep, with all the walking and traveling zapping the strength out of him.

His intention to ignore the shrill sound and go back to the recesses of his forgettable dream was unsuccessful. He raised his head and groped around the bedside to find the cause. He tapped the offender, initially thinking it had been an alarm clock.

When the noise didn't stop, he finally cracked an eye open and frowned at the old fashioned looking phone sitting on the bedside table before picking it up.

"Hello?" He croaked at it experimentally.

"Good morning, this is the reception. Is this Kudou-san?"

"U-huh?"

"Someone wants to see you at the pub."

"Okay." Yohji muttered. "Be right down." He put the receiver down after several misses before sitting up fully on the bed. It took a minute for him to study his surroundings before it dawned on him.

Nagasaki. Hostel. Pub. Farf. Schu.

Those five words worked like caffeine as he blinked the sleep away and jumped out of the bed to get ready.

Schuldig was here.

'I thought they weren't together?' Yohji asked himself as he fumbled with his jeans. A dozen scenarios flitted across his head as he hastily put on his shirt and jacket before grabbing random stuff from the dresser and heading out.

* * *

Upon seeing the Irishman, Yohji suddenly got confused.

"Something tells me you're not going to attack me." The younger man only smiled at Yohji as the latter sat across from him on one of the tables in the pub below the hostel. "You look surprised."

Yohji caught his bearings. "Um, Nagi's been looking for you."

The younger man only gazed at him, unmoving. "So he is." His golden eyes crinkled merrily.

Yohji carefully leaned closer, putting his clasped hands on the table.

"I needed the time alone." Farfarello said, glancing at the windows. "I've thought over and realized some things."

Yohji nodded. "That's good. I think."

"What brings the white knight to deliver news from the dark ones?"

"I'm no longer in Weiss." The blond said, having picked up fast on the Irish's form of speech. Farfarello was the poet among them; he found that hard to believe at first. "I'm a private investigator now. I picked up Nagi's case. He's looking for you and for Schuldig."

"Well then congratulations are in order. You've found me." Farfarello chuckled.

Yohji shook his head in wonder. "You got both of them worried back there, Farfarello."

"It's Jei now." The man smiled. "I wish you hadn't found me yet though. I'm not sure yet if I want to go back to Schwarz this soon."

"I'm sure Nagi wants you back, whether as a teammate or just a friend. Crawford, well that may be an entirely different matter. I'm not sure."

"The old man knows how I think. Probably the reason why he isn't too eager to look for me. He knows I'll come back. I just need time." Jei sat up and tilted his head. "If you're looking for me all this time, why did you look so surprised when you saw me?"

"Um," Yohji shook his head. "I just, yesterday afternoon, I did see you already, you were going to the marketplace."

"You were following me."

"I didn't mean to, I didn't want to cause a scene; you might attack me." Yohji explained, "You did, didn't you?"

"Did I what?"

"Attack me?" Yohji felt his head for a bump. "I got hit on the head by something hard."

"I didn't know you were in town until this morning."

Yohji frowned at that. He never told the boy what Jei looked like, much less anyone in town so it was impossible that Jei knew he was looking for him. "How did you know I was here?"

"Schuldig."

"He's with you?"

Jei smiled, shaking his head. "I haven't seen him since the last mission. He does keep in touch telepathically though, at least with me. Come to think of it, he must be nearby. His talent is limited to a certain radius after all."

Yohji's eyes narrowed in, to which Jei only laughed at.

"My guess would be that he tried to warn you. I didn't know your intentions; anyone who thinks they are being followed would probably do the same thing, I hope you understand. Maybe he thought it best that he'd rather render you unconscious than watch you get hurt by me."

"How touching."

Jei grinned. "He had taken a sort of liking towards you before."

Yohji frowned at that. Why did they have to say that? And why doesn't he show himself already?

_In time._

"Sorry?"

Jei only lifted his brows. "I said that he used to take a sort of interest in you."

Yohji stared at him. "You didn't say anything else." It took a few moments for him to realize. With a start he looked around the almost empty pub before running towards the door. 'He's here. He's here, I know it.' Yohji turned full circle as he tried to catch the faces of the passers-by.

"What did he say?" Jei had followed him outside with hands in his pockets.

Yohji sighed, raking his fingers along his hair. He was frustrated, among all things. Confused and bewildered too, as to why he was so keen on this case. _You're driving me insane._

_Flattery won't get you anywhere._

"He's flattered." Yohji frowned.

"That'd be him, Aye." Jei chuckled.

Yohji exhaled deeply. If Schuldig can answer back, he wasn't going to let it go._ Come back. They want you back._

_You don't know what you're asking for._

_I'm asking on their behalf._

_Did Crawford explicitly ask you?_

Yohji frowned. Nagi practically begged him to find them, but Crawford merely pushed him to the right direction. There was the intention to help, but the man wasn't nearly as eager as the younger member of Schwarz.

_Then it's not yet time._ Schuldig said.

_Where are you? At least let me meet you so I can honestly tell Nagi I have seen you alive._

Schuldig's side went quiet that Yohji thought he had cut him off. He looked at Jei who just shrugged. "I'm not listening in."

Yohji sighed. "This is crazy. Do you not really know where he is?"

When Jei shook his head, Schuldig's reluctant voice echoed in his mind. _When you continue north at the end of the city, there is a small port. This afternoon. Bring Jei._

Yohji blinked and nodded, then grunted in reply.

_This isn't a telephone, Yohji. I can hear you agree from a mile away without hearing your voice._

Yohji rolled his eyes and turned to Jei. "Afternoon. The port."

Jei's mouth quirked up, slightly amused while watching the blond shake his head.

"It's going to take a while to get used to talking to that man."


	8. Chapter 7

**Notes from the author: **Hi guys! Here is yet another update. I hope you like this one as well. I'm sorry it took me a while, for some reason I couldn't upload my new chapters since I couldn't get the fanfiction menu working, hope you forgive me. Anyway thanks goes out to all the readers once again, especially to RodiSquall and laurose, your reviews mean the world to me. Next up, will Schuldig and Jei finally go with Yohji and end Nagi's misery once and for all? Also the pairing I have in mind since the very start will finally be revealed! (Don't despair though, I may still have another one, but it's still under wraps. Tehee!) Without further ado, here goes the next chapter!

(Telepathic thoughts are in Italic.)

**Chapter Seven**

'The time will come when we will be separated from each other, and either or both of us will be too vulnerable to do anything about it. When that happens, we need to think twice about coming back to the team, either as an asset or a liability.' Crawford had once told him after a mission that had gone wrong had almost cost them their lives trying to accomplish it.

Schuldig thought he was being a bit melodramatic. 'We got the target, that's what matters.'

'No Schuldig. The team is more important. If I were to find myself more of a hindrance to the team, I would do everything it takes to keep the team safe. If I had to go away, or if I had to kill myself, I would gladly do it.'

Schuldig had glared at the man for being too serious. Crawford always was, but rare are the times when he was both that and pessimistic. If anything, the man always had a way of seeing things in a positive light, having the advantage to rely on visions of the future that allow him to plan things ahead.

No matter how much he hated him for saying that, Crawford almost always told the truth. From then on he had that conversation etched in his mind ever since.

Schuldig continued to stare at the window for a little while longer before studying his profile on an oval mirror hanging on the wall to his left, marveling once more at how his face had drastically changed. The sallow cheeks, the tired eyes, the unruly fiery mane was a far cry from the old Schuldig whose feral grin spelled danger to whoever came across his path. What was left of him looked pathetic, definitely not the man Crawford would want back in his team. He couldn't even stand being in the main city for half a day without going berserk. Schuldig allowed a weak grin, remembering the Irish comrade fondly.

Requesting Yohji to bring Jei along was like asking for trouble, but Schuldig found this helpful - having at least one constant companion within the vicinity will help him work on his shields. Add to that said companion being a certain former madman, Schuldig realized that soon he would have to be very busy. With a resolute sigh, he did a once over of the cabin and braced himself as he opened the door. But just a few steps out, he could already hear the excitement, the barrage of thoughts that just threatened to shred him to pieces.

He'd been trying to recuperate. He tried taking walks by the docks, dropping by town to buy a few supplies but never staying for too long. Eventually, the cacophony of random noises and thoughts gets to him that he had to leave quickly.

He can't turn back now, no matter how hard his head throbbed. There has to be an explanation here, an uncommon denominator. Why could he survive going to the marketplace when he couldn't even stand still to wait for the two to get close? He could practically hear them coming down the beach.

He could communicate with Jei. He had been doing it every now and then, it became sort of a routine. He concentrated on him now that this was the first time the man had ever been as close in proximity as before. He was partly relieved that his thoughts didn't cut him up, but apprehensive to have the feeling of underlying ones lying quietly but dangerous within the deeper recesses of his mind.

He could live with that, perhaps for a few days at a time, he could handle Jei around.

Kudou was a different matter. The moment he tried diving into the blond's thoughts, a rich symphony of ideas and memories blared across his own mind like an orchestra out of tune.

Of course the answer was obvious. This is the first time he's seeing him after the mission that went wrong.

'He's just here to see me.' Schuldig thought over and over, coaxing himself. Wincing, he took a few minutes to compose himself before stepping out once more into the beach.

* * *

Yohji felt the sand underneath his toes as he stared listlessly at the ocean. It has been a little over a month when he started this case, and while the other cases he took from Kanzaki-san had already been solved, it seemed he would be able to close this one too.

It seemed impossible at the time. His gut instinct kept screaming at him to push through with it, even if it meant compromising the trust of his family. In the end, he chose to leave them, not because he was mad or anything, but because he wanted them to be safe, in the event that he finds that he made a wrong decision to extend a helping hand to their ex-enemy.

He surveyed his surroundings and found a decent shack a little closer into the woods that led to a dirt road. It didn't look inhabited, and yet a certain redhead emerged from behind it, a mere shadow of his former self.

"Schuldig." Yohji muttered when the man drew closer. The man used to be one of the deadliest men in Japan, but now it looked as if the slightest touch would inflict pain enough for him to shy away from human contact.

Schuldig's gaze went to Jei who stood a few yards farther away from Yohji, and yet the distance didn't seem to make any difference. Though violent, angry thoughts lay dormant inside Jei's head, he could still feel them, and it was already starting to scratch at his shields, sending little spasms of pain in his temples.

Jei seemed to take a hint and turned to walk farther away in the opposite direction.

'Don't stray too far. I might need you.'

'Not yet.' Jei smiled inwardly, glancing at the waters as he made his way along the shore. 'But sure I'll stay close enough for ye.'

Having just the Irish stand there was enough to make him reel. It was really all too soon for this. Schuldig sighed and turned to Yohji. "Tell them I can't come back."

"Why?"

Schuldig tried to sneer, but only managed a grim smile. "Look at me..." The redhead attempted to explain. "The reason I stayed behind is that I'm still trying to recover. I may have physically healed, but if you drag me out there..."

Yohji watched as the older man looked out forlornly towards the water. "What's important for Nagi is for all of you to be together."

"You don't understand. I can't do that." Schuldig sighed desperately facing him. "The minute I get there, my telepathy will break. My shields will shatter and I'll lose control of it. I'll hear everyone in Tokyo."

"Is it repairable?"

"It's going to take a while." Schuldig pocketed his hands. "Jei's keeping an eye on me, like I keep an eye on him."

"You'll come back though, once you're okay?"

"You miss me?" Schuldig grinned.

Yohji frowned at that. While he admitted that he had gotten used to hearing about the redhead, he personally didn't know him yet enough to miss the man. "I'm asking so I can warn my ex-teammates about it."

Schuldig snorted, turning towards the sea.

"Who am I kidding." Yohji muttered. He wasn't exactly in speaking terms with them; for the past few weeks he had been diligently working on his cases that he'd finished most of them and had gotten paid. This was the only case left; he could go on vacation somewhere, vanish for a while.

Forget.

"Do I tell them where I found you?"

Schuldig shook his head. "Just tell them I left you a message."

Yohji nodded at that. Awkwardly, he thrust his hand towards the redhead, to which the other took in surprise. "Good luck then."

Schuldig sniffed, letting go of his hand. "You too, I guess."

'Maybe it's better this way,' Yohji thought, turning back to the direction where he came, only to turn around again. "When you come back, will Schwarz regroup?"

Schuldig shrugged. "There's no more Schwarz. The last mission attested to that - we've turned our backs to the elders."

Yohji felt somehow relieved at that; Schwarz no longer posed a threat to Weiss, and he no longer felt like he had betrayed his friends. With a resolute nod, he turned around one last time to leave the redhead in his own corner of the world just as he had requested.

* * *

Of course, Nagi wasn't too thrilled with the news.

"That's it?" Nagi grounded his teeth, visibly irritable. "What else did they say?"

"They'll come back." Yohji wanted to soothe the other man but he figured he couldn't say anything more. "You've got to understand kid, Tokyo's highly congested. If it is true what he says, I probably might have gone insane had I been in his shoes and forced myself to come back here."

"I'm starting to wonder if I should pay you for this."

Yohji sighed heavily; giving that kind of status report to a client won't likely give him the payment he should receive. Nevertheless, he was glad that it was over, somehow. "Look, Nagi. I found them. They said to give you a message. I gave you proof that I met them. Frankly, I don't care much if you paid me whole or not, I'm just glad that I somehow solved this case. If you think otherwise, that is not my responsibility anymore. I can't persuade someone to go back if he had a valid reason not to, and I think that he has."

Nagi glared at him pointedly. "I'm not asking for your opinion."

"I'm sorry, but I'm sure Crawford thought the same way, which was why he didn't appear too eager to find them right off the bat. Worried, yes, but he didn't push it like you did. At least we know now for sure that wherever they are they are fine and that they intend to go back when the right time comes."

"When is that?"

"If he can handle being here at all." Yohji answered. "Please understand Nagi. I've done what I can and staked more than enough for this case."

Nagi sighed, gazing at the ceiling defeatedly. "I know. I'm sorry. I just miss them, you know?"

Yohji smiled empathically. "No worries, kiddo. I know how that feels."

Nagi handed out an envelope before he stood up wearily to take his leave. "For your troubles." He watched Yohji bow gratefully and take the payment.

Yohji looked up and saw hesitation in the other man's eyes. "Uhm, can I do anything else for you?"

"Maybe you should know, after all you've done for me.." Nagi crossed his arms defensively. "Please don't tell anyone that I told you about this, you and the others aren't supposed to know yet."

"What is it?"

"I'll be working for Kritiker."

* * *

The sudden news had Yohji speechless for most of the afternoon as he sat back contemplating on what has happened.

Nagi had either been hired or had applied for Kritiker as an agent, a valuable asset to the organization. He was glad that this would probably put a definite end to the rivalry between Weiss and Schwarz.

On the other hand, he highly doubted that Omi didn't know about this either. Ken and Aya might have no idea about this, but Omi being the son and future heir of Shuuichi who is the brains of Kritiker, must have known.

No wonder he understood Yohji's predicament of having to help an ex-rival.

He frowned, feeling slightly put out by it. He looked at the folders on the right side of his table - all the cases Kanzaki-san handed to him had been closed, stamped, and made ready for the archives.

Yohji propped his feet on the table. Not bad for the first quarter of the month, he was able to pay off his loans and had savings to spare. He figured he deserved a break. He considered calling Omi to berate him for keeping a secret from him, one which would have made his conscience lighter and his life easier, but decided against it. Instead, he opted to leave a simple note, with hardly a clue as to where he might be going.

'Where indeed?' With a grin, an idea dawned on him.

* * *

When Yohji came back, he found that Jei had somehow moved in with Schuldig.

"What brings you here so soon?" Jei asked, standing by the porch, the redhead meanwhile nowhere to be found.

Yohji sighed, shaking his head. "I just..." 'This was the first place that came to mind. Sharing a refuge. You ok with that?'

_I don't mind._

Yohji and Jei turned when Schuldig wordlessly came out the door, looking a bit worse for wear. Yohji had thought inwardly, with the intent to reconstruct his answer before speaking to Jei. Instead, the telepath caught the silent question and answered it himself. 'Kamisama, he looks...' "Maybe...maybe it isn't such a good idea after all." Yohji muttered lamely.

"I said I don't mind." Schuldig tried a little more persuasively, despite the tiredness in his eyes. "I've just been doing a little training with Jei around."

"I don't want to cause any trouble, maybe I could get a place at the pub like before."

"I do that sometimes." Jei said. "Whenever he can't have me around."

Schuldig looked at the Irishman wearily.

"So you wouldn't mind me being roomies with you?" Yohji allowed a small smile, which helped lighten Jei's spirits a little. The amused grin graced the younger man's face, much to Yohji's relief.

"Sure. I'll have ye help at the stall some of the time if you want."

"Stall?"

"He fishes for a living." Schuldig said shortly, a weak smile on his face. "I really don't mind, Yohji. Maybe some of the time I might have both of you booted out but I can manage today."

"Okay." Yohji nodded. "I'll stay for today."

"So will I."

"No, you will not. We need food, so you need to fish." Schuldig sneered.

Jei rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Yohji chuckled as he watched the younger man go back inside only to retrieve his stuff for fishing, all the while mumbling unintelligently. Schuldig meanwhile could only lean tiredly by the door, seeing Jei off to the beach.

Before he knew it, the ever increasing ideas, theories and assumptions slowly creeped into Schuldig's thoughts. Solutions, contingency plans, worst-case scenarios, dilemmas - "Yohji. Just. For one minute, just stop thinking."

Yohji whipped his head, eyes wide. "Oh. Sorry." He gulped, seeing the redhead lean on the wall beside the door.

Schuldig looked momentarily into the horizon, trying to steady his gaze.

And then he saw the flowers, the bees, the lush green trees. He began to laugh.

"What's funny?"

"I said stop thinking, Kudou. Not think happy thoughts. Don't think. At all."

Yohji frowned. "How do I do that?"

Schuldig sighed wearily. "It's not possible, is it? Well shield them, then. Like, when you have a secret and you can't tell me. Don't think too loud so I can hear."

Yohji closed his eyes, despairing at the complexity of it all. "I'll get a place at the pub."

"No." Schuldig growled. "Just, walk it off. It settles easily if thoughts are sorted out, none of those indecisions, various contingencies and stuff. It's confusing and it makes my head ache."

"Kay." Yohji muttered, dropping off his bag by the doorstep. "Maybe I'll have a look at what Jei's up to."

"Good. More fish for us."

Yohji didn't bother to turn around to see if Schuldig was serious about it. Was he growing tired of fish? He could drop by town to get some food, maybe get groceries, he can cook, that's the least he could do-

_Yohji. Not too loud. Okay?_

_I'm really seriously considering getting a hotel, Schu._

And then, Schuldig suddenly hugged him from behind. It was in those first few moments when the clouds seemed to clear.

Yohji's mind was blank with surprise and Schuldig was basking in its every second. He could feel the redhead's pain easing off a little. He smiled, putting his own hands over the other's and not knowing what to think, preferred that things stay that way, if only for a while.


End file.
